When Your Sins Return
Acts 3:19
Peter encounters two groups
of unsaved folks who were convinced of their sin and wanted to know what to do
about it.
Peter told the first
group Acts 2:38
Peter told the second
group Acts 3:19
One of the things that is
obvious of these two groups is that God used Peter to bring these folks to a
place they were willing to deal with their sin. Would you listen to me tonight
when I tell you that God is still in that business? Making the unsaved aware of
their sins and Believers aware of our sins.
The truth is that while sin
loves darkness it cannot be kept from the light….let me show you what I mean…
Numbers 32:23 and
be sure your sin will find you out.
Eph. 5: 11 And
have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove
them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them
in secret. 13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light:
for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
Here is what the Scripture
says of our sins...they return, they are revealed, they are made manifest…they
are reaped. We all know that to be true…try as we may to cover them, and we do
try to cover them, don’t we????
·
We attempt to escape
the confession of sin …I John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
·
We attempt to cover our
sin ….Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall
not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
·
We attempt to create justification
for our sin …James 1: 14 But every man is tempted, when
he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
·
We attempt to control
our sin…extract peace and fulfillment and exclude the pain and suffering …drink
the pleasure of sin without partaking of the symptoms of sin…James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth
sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
But learn this:
Sin demands its due
Sin refuses to go away
quietly
Romans 6: 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves
servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto
death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Sin refuses to stay in the
place we would designate for it.
Sin insists on “…coming
out…”
Sin demands recognition, exposure
and publicity and fame
Sin will not rest until it
has center stage.
Consider at the
central point of all history …and you
see Christ Jesus the sinless Son of God bearing the sins of the world. Yours
and mine…and it is not in an undisclosed, back alley, unnoticed by the world….
His payment for
our sin was public, and the shame and humiliation He experienced was sufficient
and complete, so much so that upon our acceptance of His person and His
payment, we are literally found to be made His righteousness and without
condemnation. All our sins are paid
for in relation to our position in the family and our eternal destiny.
John 5: 24 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent
me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed
from death unto life.
Romans 8:1 1 There
is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk
not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
We understand that and thank
God for that reality.
But we sometimes misuse that
blessed reality of freedom from condemnation to remove ourselves from our
responsibility to make right our sin in relation to our fellow man.
Some folks have the idea
that if Christ has paid for all my sin and He will not ever condemn me ….then
when I sin I only need to deal with God…I only need to make things right with
God and I do not need to be concerned about anyone but God.
That would be fine theology
except for the fact that the one who paid for all our sin also said…
Matt. 5:23-24
Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy
brother hath ought against thee;
Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be
reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another…”
Now why, if our sins are
paid for, did He tell us to be reconciled to our
brother and confess our faults one to
another????
Note these Bible truths….
·
When one is saved he
becomes one with Christ and one with other members of God’s family and is
intended to represent Christ, carries His name, reflects His image,
demonstrates His love, His purity, His gentleness, His compassion and power.
We, as God’s family, collectively represent Christ and demonstrate the
character and purity of Christ.
Matt. 5: 13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt
have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for
nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the
light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do
men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it
giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in
heaven.
·
When one unites with a local congregation
of Believers, when one unites with a local body of Believers, we become
responsible for the name of Christ and that local ministry…. II Cor.
6: 3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:
See, we declare to the world that we have
experienced and do experience the power and work of Christ in our lives and
that He has made a difference and we are not like and what we were….because of
Christ, and we offer them the same power and cleansing, but then when the world
sees us living not as Christ lived…….not only is He misrepresented but His Word
is mocked and His ministry is blasphemed.
Our bad living reflects on His good name
and His ministry….
Our poor living reflects on His precious
name and His ministry….
Our low living reflects on His lovely name
and His ministry….
Our reckless living reflects on His
righteous name and His ministry….
When we become a Christian
we become responsible for the image the world has of Christ…and the ministry of
Christ to the world.
Now we know that none of us
lives as Christ lived…in every way, in every thought, in every feeling and
motive…….we all fail in that, do we not??????
So what has God given us
when our sins return? How do we deal with our sins? How are we to respond when
our bad living has reflected badly on His good name?????
I. We are accountable to allow the indwelling Holy Spirit and the
Scriptures to judge us ….I Cor. 11: 31For if we would
judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
Why does the Holy Spirit convict us and
the Holy Scripture give us commandments?????
Is it not so we can experience God’s
best...know God more...it is for the
most blessed walk …it is for the most blessed life…it is so we can be restored
…brought back…renewed and refreshed!!!!!
II. We are accountable to consider the judgment of our spiritual family.
Two things we need to make clear in
relation to being judged by other believers…
1. We are not inappropriately judging
when we apply truth God has already declared...that is called teaching.
Inappropriate judging is when we make a determination where God has not
spoken…when we place ourselves in God’s place…but to speak truth that God has
already declared is called teaching….
2. We need to recognize that no “Brother” or “fellow Believer”
has any authority over another…in relation to importance or standing with
Christ…or access to God…we do not need a priest other than Christ …to take us
to God.
However, we who are in God’s family are
responsible to respect, follow and learn from mature Believers, we are to be
and have both teachers and examples.
Titus 2
The Scripture and Spirit are our final
authorities. Don’t ever embrace a lesson from man that is not imbedded in
Scripture…but anytime a brother or sister steps up to you and with a humble
spirit says, can I show you something in Scripture, we ought to perk up our
ears and turn on our discernment and say, oh Brother … let me be your student
…I will hear….
III.
We are accountable to consider the judgment of our Church family and
Church leadership.
You would agree that, biblically, varying
degrees of sin are acknowledged in Scripture …There are sinning brethren we are
to pray for and those we are told not to pray for…
I John 5: 16If any man see his
brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him
life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say
that he shall pray for it. 17All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not
unto death.
These varying degrees of sin are to be
met with varying degrees of Church responsibility.
Disorderly conduct in the Church family.…I Thess. 5:14, II Thess. 3:6-15 slothful, uncommitted,
irresponsible, busybody, they are to be warned, admonished…
Immoral life …I Cor. 5:1-13 Now in this setting the individual has not
judged himself, he has not listened to other concerned family members, he has
not listened to Church leadership, and the Bible plan is for him to be Vs 13…”…put away
from among yourselves…”
Again this is for the purpose of
restoration, because in this case, while he would not judge himself, and would
not listen to the brethren or Church family or leadership, his being put away
brought him to repentance…and Paul wrote in
II Cor. 2 : 6Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which
was inflicted of many. 7So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him,
and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch
sorrow. 8Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.
9For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether
ye be obedient in all things.
One thing often overlooked in Vs 9 this
practice is as much Scripture and expected of us by God as is the reality that
God loves the World and our compliance in this sad responsibility is as much an
expression of faith as is compliance to any other expectation of
Scripture. We do not have the authority
or liberty to dismiss the practice of this teaching.
Note the good things that come from the
carrying out of the Word in such matter…
II Cor. 7: 8-11
1. Both the Church and the offender was
brought to a place of repentance and experienced the refreshment of repentance.
Vs 10
2. The Church was approved
by the working of repentance.Vs 10-11
Conclusion: Let us
individually and collectively be honest and forthright about our sin and
committed to the hard task of Scripture with humility and live obedient and
patient. In so doing we will honor Christ and represent Him rightly before the
world.
